numbers

now that's a chest! it looks like it tapes 49 inches. i suspect, however, if the tape were repositioned so that it was level with the nipples, it might measure about 50 inches.

i've written about my interest in bodybuilder statistics before. but lets look at the chest number.

in my data base, by no means exhaustive, but with over 120 entries, the biggest chest size i have recorded is 70 inches. that's 5'-10" to you and me. who's chest could possibly by that large? sean allen's chest. he's 6'-4" and tips the scales off-season at over 350 pounds. i think that this chest size must also be off-season. an interesting statistic here: his chest measures 92% of his height!

the next biggest chest size i have recorded is bruce patterson: 58 inches. that is 4'-10" around. he's 5'-10" tall and weighs 270 pounds. again, i think these are off-season sizes. his waist is 32 inches. comparing his chest size to his height: his chest is 83% of his height.

the third largest chest in my data base belongs to the man, whose name escapes me at the moment, who has the biggest biceps in the world [27 inches around!]. his chest measures 56 inches and he tips the scales at 235 pounds. however, he is only 5'-6" tall. his waist is only 29 inches around [can you imagine biceps nearly as big as is waist!?]. comparing his chest size to his height: his chest is 85% of his height.

the top ten largest chests in my data base are all greater than 49 inches. the heights of these herculean men vary from 5'-3" at the low end [with a 53 inch chest] to sean allen's 6'-4". the drop, the difference between the chest size and the waist size varies from as small as 16-1/2 inches to sean allen's positively freaky 30 inches. i seem to remember that the average man has about a 6 or 8 inch drop. if your drop is 10 inches or better you are considered "athletic" by the fashion industry. their chest vary from 72% to 92% of their heights.

the second group of ten in my data base have chests that measure between 48 inches and 49 inches at heights varying between 5'-4" and 6'-1". the waists on these men vary between 28 inches and 34 inches and drops between 14 and 21. their chests vary from 63% to 75% of their heights.

if you look at all these numbers: height, chest size, waist size, drop and chest's percent of height, the man with the most impressive body, the most extreme chest is sean allen. i would like to get ronnie coleman's statistics to see how he compares, or ruhl's.

i don't know if it is possible, but i wonder if any bodybuilder has ever managed to build up his chest to equal or even exceed his height? wouldn't that be incredible!? i try to picture what a friend of mine would look like, his 5'-9" height matched by a 69 inch chest. even if his 34 inch waist thickened up to 36 inches, he'd have a 33 inch drop!

the ideal muscle man would, in my mind, have a chest equal to his height, arms aproaching his waist size, thighs bigger than his waist and calves equal to or larger than his arms. i haven't sorted my data base by waist size so i'm not sure how determine the "ideal" waist size. i have calculated the waist to height ratios for all these entries, but haven't sorted by that. The top 20 big chested men all have waists that vary between 38% of their height to 53%. given my preference for a big drop/tiny waist, i'm guessing the waist should be less than 40% of their height.

i like muscle men who are shorter than i am. so my ideal muscle man would be, for arguments sake, 3 inches shorter than me: 5'-6" tall [i'm 5'-9"]. this ideal fantasy man would stack up like this:
height: 5'-6" [66" tall]
chest: 66" [100% of his height]
waist: 26-1/2" [roughly 40% of his height]
thighs: 28" or more
arms: 24" or more
calves: 24" or more

can you imagine him? my guess is that he'd weigh between 250 and 275 pounds.

woof!